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Photo: St. Kitts and Nevis' Minister of National Security, Justice, Immigration and Labour, Hon. Dwyer Astaphan and New York Councilmember, Hon. Yvette Clarke and members of the local delegation at the City Hall Reception. Councilmember Kendall Stewart is (5th right). |
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, MAY 12TH - An initiative, aimed at forging a relationship between law enforcement agencies in St. Kitts and Nevis and New York, is being spearheaded by Minister of National Security, Justice, Immigration and Labour, the Hon. Dwyer Astaphan.
Minister Astaphan and representatives from several local law enforcement agencies have been meeting with officials from New Yorks City Hall.
Councilmember, the Hon. Yvette Clarke shared some insights with Minister Astaphan about her role as chair of the Councils Fire & Criminal Justice Services Committee and the citys Emergency Preparedness System.
She formally introduced the City Council to Minister Astaphan during a reception in his honour.
It is my honor and privilege to present Minister Astaphan to my colleagues. St. Kitts has been a strong Caribbean ally of our city and was extremely supportive during the early post-9/11 era, including providing free vacations for some of our citys emergency workers who toiled at the Trade Center site, said Clarke, who succeeded her mother Una Clarke as Councilmember.
She said that it is international goodwill like this, which is the foundation for strong partnerships and economic opportunities for Basseterre and New York.
On behalf of the 167,000 residents of the 40th District in Brooklyn and the more than two million Caribbean nationals throughout the metropolitan area, I want to give warm greetings to Minister Dwyer Astaphan and his colleagues, and wish them a safe and enjoyable visit to our city, said Clarke.
Minister Astaphan has been meeting with representatives of several agencies that are committed to safety. These include the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), the New York Police Department (NYPD), the Coast Guard and National Guard, to establish goodwill and information sharing between Basseterre and the City of New York.
He met with New York Police Department Commissioner Ray Kelly, Fire Commissioner, Nicholas Scopetta and Department of Corrections Commissioner Martin Horn
Minister Astaphan also attended a CARIB NEWS Editorial Board Meeting and a testimonial celebration for former Grenada Ambassador to the United Nations, His Excellency Dr. Lamuel Stanislaus, who is still the titular head of the CaribbeanAmerican community in New York.
The delegation also met with members of the CaribbeanAmerican Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CACCI) that hosted a Breakfast Meeting on its behalf.
St. Kitts and Nevis and the Caribbean are important to us in the New York Diaspora. Having Minister Dwyer Astaphan, one of the brightest leaders from the Caribbean, visit us in New York is a great honour, said President of CACCI, Dr. Roy Hastick.
Minister Astaphan is accompanied by Superientendent of Prisons, Mr. Franklyn Dorset; Major Leroy Percival and Captain Anthony Comrie of the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force; Asssiant Commissioner of Police, Mr. Austin Williams; Police Inspector Joseph Liburd; Acting Chief Fire Officer, Mr. Hester Rawlins and Operations Officer in the Ministry of National Security, Mr. Roosevelt Trotman.
